12 April 2018

GETTING ALONE WITH THE LOVER OF OUR SOUL

By John Ollis

I posted this statement on FB today:

DON’T SAY YOU JUST LIKE TO “HANG LOOSE” A DISCIPLE IS A DISCIPLINED PERSON.

We are living in a generation that doesn’t like to be organised, but the reality is unless we ORGANISE  ourselves, we can get very slack and lazy when it comes to the things of God.
I also posted on FB recently:

7 days without the Lord makes one WEAK

And also: WE SURE SEEK TO KEEP OUR SMART PHONES CHARGED, HOW MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEP OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD FULLY CHARGED.
I am reminds of 2 lines from an old hymn “Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon”.  Although being a Pastor is my primary ministry, I am so thankful the Lord led me into Teaching Ministry, and one of the important keys in teaching is REPITION.
Why do we need to be reminded so often about fundamentally important things regarding our walk with God? Is it because?:
The information has not become revelation,
We are basically undisciplined and lazy,
Are we easily distracted?
Is it one of the “wiles” of the evil one to get us of course ?
I guess it could be ALL of the above, so as a Teacher, I will keep on reminding you (and me) of these important things.
I am preaching again this Sunday at our local Baptist church on the topic, “the discipled life last week I preached on “What is a Disciple” and the need of a Discipler/Buddyto walk with us.
I then listed 10 areas that we need to be discipled in and the essential place of a Buddy to walk with us over perhaps many months until the Christian life becomes a LIFESTYLE.
For example, if a person is NOT discipled, and is never taught what it means to put on the whole armour of God (for example) that is why after years of being a Believer, they live a life of defeat and frustration, perhaps we know from personal experience the up and down life of a Believer that was never really Discipled.
I am so aware that Biblical Discipleship is actually a very controversial subject, either because, the Buddy oversteps the mark, and dominates a person, others run a mile because true Discipleship can be extremely time consuming, and so people throw out the “baby with the bathwater” and nothing is done or an unbiblical and ineffective method is chose,  that does not produce a quality Disciple, surely the Biblical Mandate is to raise up QUALITY DISCIPLES of our master, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This Sunday the topic is developing a fulfilling daily Quiet Time, you really can’t teach about prayer in a class, a class will never make a person a prayer. That is why we need a Buddy to walk with us, perhaps even for months until having a Quiet Time is a DAILY LIFESTYLE.
Statistically, it appears that many Christians DO NOT have a daily quiet time, either because they never had a Buddy to walk with them, or that they are very undisciplined.
It also appears that many Christians, who do have a daily quiet time, find it very unfulfilling, but do it as they feel under a “legal obligation to do so.
My definition of prayer is THE INTIMATE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO LOVERS. We all remember when we fell  in love that “person” was constantly on our mind, and we would want to contact them and sped time with them.
Would you pray with me, that many who hear the preaching on Sunday, will begin to develop a fulfill daily quiet time.
I trust you have a fulfilling quiet time, if you don’t if I can help you in any way please feel free to contact me.
May we all fall in love with Jesus more and more amen