Three & Four Of The Seven
Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them. In a previous devotion, I covered two of the seven I am aware of. Today, we’ll look at two more.
Today, I will review two more important commands Jesus gave. These commands are incorporated into the New Covenant and are meant to be taught to those who come to know Christ Jesus as Lord.
3. Pray & Believe
Command: Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is not a “repeat after me prayer.” It involves an attitude toward prayer and an outline of prayer motivations. We do not pray to be seen by others; prayer is not a show. Using lots of words and repeating phrases does not make a prayer more effective. Prayer should begin with acknowledging your relationship with the Father and reverencing His greatness. It should be motivated primarily by a desire to see His kingdom come and include any specific known areas that require His aid in seeing it come to pass. A yearning for His will to be accomplished affects what we pray. We bring anything that currently appears to be outside His will to Him, desiring that it be brought into submission to His will. It’s not just His will in the passive sense, either. It is His will to be done like it is in heaven, without dispute, without question, and joyfully so. Then prayer can progress to daily needs, and any behavior that gives us a sense of needing His forgiveness. All our sins were paid for at the cross—all past, present, and future sins. So we are forgiven in the atonement, no doubt, but our souls register any disobedience or sense of falling short, and thus, we wash the soul clean with our request for forgiveness and our faith to receive it. Then, knowing that we are so easily forgiven, we ought to as well forgive others who have wronged us. Finally, we ask for His protection against the wiles of an enemy who desires to steer us in the wrong direction continually, and we cap it off with praises in faith, acknowledging that it is our Lord who has all authority and power and who rules this kingdom we’ve been made a part of. This model of praying means nothing, though, without faith.
Mark 11:24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Faith is and will always be the way we please God. Therefore, faithless prayer is like not praying at all.
4. Make Disciples
Command: Matthew 28:19 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, 20 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.
God has not called us to make mere converts. He does not say, "Go out and get someone to pray a prayer and then move on. " No, this desire communicates an intentional and invested endeavor not just to see someone accept Jesus as Lord but to go even further and invest in making sure they are His disciples. It involves a process that brings that person into your community of faith to grow in Christ and contribute to fulfilling His desire for their lives and His kingdom’s purposes. They are to receive instruction on the things Jesus taught the first disciples so they might observe them.
