The Beginning..
''When someone gives his or her life to Christ may be through us, on one on one evangelism or through ''mass'' evangelism, what is the next thing we (believers) supposed to do to such people?''.
When someone gives his or her life to Christ, what is the next thing we supposed to do?
I believed the next thing to do to such a person is not to introduce him to anything than Christ. We must endeavor to let such a person find his feet in Christ. Though this may look like a hard gospel but in reality that is the truth.
The first thing we should do for a new convert, is to introduce him/her more to The Lord, in fact, joining a fellowship should be withdrawn if possible. So that his faith, will based on the Lord not on the fellowship he’s attending.
That’s why, Jesus did not introduced His Church and His Kingdom to the apostles immediately when they followed Him but, all he did was to show to them who He was and by the time he started to introduced the Church and the Kingdom to them, they have developed such a relationship that no matter what comes out of it they will be standing strong in Him.
Although, they did fell but, they knew that there was no other place they could go. But do we do that today?
Nay, immediately one gives his life to the Lord, we quickly add them to our fellowship either in ignorance or to increase our members. And not long enough they see something in us that discouraged their faith and next thing they do was to turn their back on the Lord and start working in religion.
Oh! How many soul have we pushed into religion in the name of helping them.
Oh! How many have seen our rebellion and also felt that is the way to serve the Lord since we that are leading them are doing it they too has joined the train of our rebellion.
I wonder why bro Philip did not introduced the eunuch to their fellowship after he preached to him, and why the bible didn't record the fellowship the eunuch joined after he was saved.
So, we see now that, the problem is not with the Lord's work but with us that's trying to help Him with our SELF.
Here is the gospel of the Kingdom: the Apostle spent 3 and half years in Intimacy Relationship with the Lord before they had the revelations of the Church which they became and the revelation of the Kingdom of God, so also must we spent much time with Him so that He can first birth Himself into us then show us His church and His Kingdom. if not, may God help us.
Often, even, many times, our concept of the Church is totally wrong because our concept of Christ is partially or totally wrong, some believed the Church is a building while some that had little understanding believed the church is not the building but those that are saved. But is that really the Church? Well, thank God for the understanding of the latter that believed that the Church is not the building but the saved one, but it goes beyond that, those who are saved are not yet the Church!! The Church is made up of Disciples, the Called out one who have forsaken all and ready to be offer to the Lord.
So, in today, we have: multitude, followers, Christians and the disciples. The commandment of the Lord to the disciple was go into all nations and make them disciple just liked He had made them. When you give your life to the Lord, may I say to you that you are not yet his disciple, why? Because, disciple are built over-time.
And until you are His disciple you cannot be part of His bride, for it takes disciples to bear fruits.
The first stage you start from is; you are a follower of Christ. That was exact thing the Lord told Peter and other, "follow me".
So let’s start from the basis of what it takes to be a disciple. Because, this where we come to understand what the gospel of the Kingdom is all about and don’t forget, until this gospel of the kingdom is preached to all nations the end will not come.
THE MULTITUDE
John 6:26-27
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Now, everyone that are and will ever comes to Christ, started from being either pagan or multitude, multitude in the sense that they came from a religious background(the Jews) and pagan in the sense that they don’t have such(the Gentiles). When bible recorded that mixed multitude followed Christ, what that means was that those who followed him were mixture of Jew and gentile.
If someone comes from a religious background doing what he/she has been taught in their religious organization but without personal encounter with the Lord such people are just multitudes following God at their own convenience and what they were told.
Multitudes are not interested in what God needs but, all what they are after is their daily bread and healing in their body. If those ones are met, then they turn back to their old ways of doing things.
That is why, after Jesus has fed them he has to send them away, because those were not the kind people his was looking for (Matthew 13:36,14:23)
If any man has not met Christ personally, and has not had a genuine encounter with the Lord; though such a person may be in a fellowship or organized religion for years, but as far as the Lord is concerned, he/she is part of multitude that needs to be sent back .
But do you know my fear? Such people are the people we call our brethren, and because of what we can get from them, we hesitate in sending them back. How contradictory does this sound to what our Lord did to the rich man!(Luke 18:18-25).
There is always a price to pay before one can become a follower of Christ and the price start from making up your heart, forsaking all that you are and following Christ.
If the Kingdom’s gospel has to be preach to you. The first thing you have to be told is this: Have you counted the cost? You said you want to follow Jesus but He also required you to count the cost, He is not promising you blessing, power, wealth or healing but, first total death then all these will He add to you as you follow Him, and in following Him or saying yes to Him, you may lose all that you’ve ever labor for before you come to Him.
Yes, He love you no doubt about that but, He does not want you to start this journey without the aim of ending it. As you say yes to Him, he will introduce His cross for you to carry and bid you to follow Him.
Mark 10:28-30
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
That was the first message that will be presented to you after you have heard about the love of Christ to you; so that you may get an insight into what you will likely encounter in your journey as you say yes to the Lord.
But who dare preach this to you? If anyone preached this to you on the day you gave your life to the Lord, such person is not after your pocket but he is after what the Lord is after in you.
Was and is God against multitudes? No, He loves all men but He want them to come to the Knowledge of salvation. You and I started from that Place, we were part of the multitudes before the grace and mercy of God found us out.
All I'm just trying to paint before you is that, Some people are still in that realm- THE MULTITUDE, and the best we can do to them is not only to supply their needs and preached them into salvation but we must be able to tell them the other side of Salvation which is carrying your Cross.
Acts 2:40;
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Did peter only preached Salvation to them? No, He added many words and testified unto them that they must saved themselves from this untoward generation.
This is just the beginning for those who have come to Christ from the Multitudes.
Let talk about Followers:
