Resurrection of Peace

Community Church

07/26/09

More Than Saviour 

Introduction

   As with many writings, this one has more than one purpose. The message is intended to bring awareness to two needs that I believe exist in today’s Church and in the lives of those that profess and follow Jesus Christ as Saviour. The first: The complacency of the Church not to truly make disciples of those that commit to Jesus. The second: There is much more to the experience of salvation than the initial commitment where Jesus becomes Saviour. There are many things that follow but I want to focus on what I feel are two steps that are primary. They are; Jesus becoming Lord and then Master. The initial salvation experience is the most important. Without that, the other two steps are not possible. However, the complacency of the Church often does not allow or even make aware that there is more. This introduction is to give the reader a broad overview of these thoughts and needs with greater detail found in the body of the work.

    At first, the body of the book may give the appearance of being a direct and bold attack against the established Church. While there is and will be criticism against the organized church, there is no direct attack intended. If the statements made are found by the reader to be true, then the conclusions will be the reader’s as well. I have amassed these thoughts after many years of observation and participation in the ministry. These thoughts are not drawn from any one church or denomination but in fact, many, both Protestant and Catholic. If the reader will, look through the entire work and perhaps reread sections to fully understand what is being said. If the reader is new in the faith or perhaps has been in church for many years but possesses a very narrow belief or theology, there may seem to be a greater feeling of attacking the Church. Again, this is not the intent of this writing. However, the reader hopefully will be challenged deeply as to what they believe and why they believe it. They may see that what they have believed is merely the tip of a much greater story and experience. They may also see that denominational doctrine should not over shadow (or at times replace) the simple message of faith that Jesus gave us. This faith that we have received cannot be fully learned in many lifetimes much less one. But the growth must be continuous to learn all that we can. Below are the overviews. Take a short trip here and prepare for a greater journey of challenge and questioning. It is my hope and prayer that you will find that Jesus truly can be…More Than Saviour.    

   The Church has found ways, such as weekly scheduled meetings or services, to bring many to salvation through Jesus Christ but often leave the experience of salvation to grow on its own. The Church, once the salvation experience has taken place, been acknowledged, and recorded, leaves the new believer to, more or less, find his or her own way to grow in the faith. There are often classes in the Church that give an outward appearance of discipleship but seldom offer a true growth experience and these can be slanted denominationally. While there is, and understandably so from the denominational point of view, a desire to teach a new believer to be a good Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, etc, there should be a greater desire to teach the new believer to grow in the faith and to build a closer relationship with Jesus. Often the emphasis is to create a greater relationship with the church or denomination. This is one of the areas of criticism. We will also look at a perceived priority of counting the sheep of the congregation instead of feeding and nurturing to sheep. There is no attack intended, but the criticism, to some, will seem very biting. 

   The second thought is the growth of the believer to make Jesus Lord of their life and then Master. At the initial commitment to Jesus, He becomes Saviour. The believer is then sealed and protected by the blood of Christ. But that is only the beginning. Through growth, He can become Lord in the life of the believer. Here He leads and the believer follows and obeys. It is not an absolute following for there are times of questioning and disobedience but there is a great desire to follow Him. The study, prayer, and growth should continue. At some point, it is possible for Jesus to become Master in the life of the believer. Here, the following of His leading is seldom questioned. Where He says go and what He says do is done without hesitation. If there is questioning, the power of faith is greater than the questioning. He is truly Master in the life of the believer. Not all will achieve such a level of faith and obedience but it is possible but not without years of study and prayer. This is what the Church does not teach but hopefully there will be sufficient paths found in this writing that will set the believer on the road of a growing, vibrant, and living faith.    

   The Bible says that were everything that Jesus did be written down, there would not be enough books to hold it all. There is no imagination that this work is definitive in its thought and presentation but prayerfully it is sufficient to cause questioning and thought. Questioning in what is believed and why with thought that there is so much that can be learned. Bear in mind, Jesus is the Son of God, the Creator of the universe and the Giver of life to all that draw breath. How can any person or organization believe that they can have the definitive belief? How can the finite comprehend and describe the infinite? He is what you believe Him to be. With study and prayer He will grow greater and greater. The path is laid out but the effort to take the journey is up to the individual. He can be God from 11:00 AM to Noon on Sunday, or perhaps at Christmas or Easter, or maybe at a funeral or baptism but He can be much more. As Jesus asked of the disciples in Mathew 16:15-16 (NIV)…”Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” May you and I be able to answer the same.