Calling Kingdom Disciples

Trusting Jesus Christ as your personal sin-bearer forgives you of your sins and gives you the free gift of eternal life. But Dr. Tony Evans says his authority is not just in heaven, it's available to us right here, right now.

There's no issue we face now to which the Lord of heaven and earth doesn't have an answer. This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas and president of The Urban Alternative. God has created a wonderful process that turns ordinary people into steadfast saints. The Bible calls it discipleship and today Dr. Evans explores this topic as he kicks off a brand new series he calls Bold Belief.

Let's join him as he begins. Those who know our ministry worldview and philosophy know it is the kingdom agenda, the visible demonstration and manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life. In all that we are facing today, there is a clarion call from heaven to history, from eternity into time. And that is a call for Christians to become kingdom disciples. Not just churchgoers, not just religious people who carry their Bibles, but kingdom disciples. These are not part-time Christians.

These are full-time saints who apply all of life to the rule of God as they pursue an intimate relationship with Him. I have often used the illustration of a football field where there are competing teams who bring different worldviews, different playbooks to the game and who spend time in conflict with one another. We're seeing that all around us today. We're seeing the teams line up. We're seeing the Republican team and the Democratic team clash. The white team and the black team clash. The police team and the community team clash. We're seeing the poor team and the rich team clash. We're seeing the conflict not ending, just like in a football game where the clash keeps on going for the extent of the game.

Everybody trying to win. But in the midst of a clash of a football game is a third team. That's the team of officials. This officiating crew does not belong to either team that's in conflict on the field. They belong to the NFL. They belong to another order. They represent the NFL in New York on the conflict where they have been placed to represent on the field of play. They don't don the uniforms of either team because they have their own black and white identity in the jerseys that they wear.

They are distinct. Each has been handed a book and that book governs all decisions made on the field of play. Their personal opinions must be subject to that book.

Their preferences must be subject to that book. They know sometimes they're going to be booed. They know sometimes they're going to be cheered, but popularity is not their first concern.

It's obedience to the book in the middle of the conflict that matters. You will often see this team of officials gathered in a circle so that there is a unified call regarding the play. Because they understand that they are to be one in the call no matter which team they're calling for because they represent the kingdom in New York and the chaos on the field of play. Unfortunately today, God has an officiating crew that's joined the teams. They're more Democrat than Christian or more Republican than Christian, more black than Christian or more white than Christian, more part of siding with this group versus that group than Christian. And instead of bringing order to the field of play, they are adding to the chaos on the field of play. That is because far too many Christians, far too many Christian leaders, far too many churches don't understand that we belong to another kingdom run by another king who has his own playbook.

And until there's the decision to operate on earth by the playbook that comes from the kingdom in heaven by the executive who rules that kingdom, rather than bringing order to the chaos, we will find ourselves part of the chaos and even contributing to the chaos. Jesus called a meeting of his officiating crew in Matthew 28. Three groups attend the meeting. It says in verse 16, the eleven disciples, that is minus Judas, attended the meeting. 1 Corinthians 15 says more than 500 brethren attended the meeting. And then it says that Jesus concluded the meeting by saying that he's going to be with us till the end of the age.

Well, we haven't come to the end of the age yet, so guess what? You and I have been invited to the meeting. So the 16, the 500, and everybody else who names the name of Jesus Christ has been invited to the meeting.

So why don't we mosey on up to the hill that was designated? That is the mountain in Galilee where Jesus called the meeting to find out what this meeting is about and find out what this call is about where Jesus is looking for some kingdom disciples, not cultural Christians, not even first American Christians, kingdom Christians, who are in the culture, who are part of the nation, but who are not defined by it. It says, when they saw Him, verse 17, they worshiped.

They sang their songs. They prayed their prayers. They celebrated the resurrected Christ. Because worship is always where you start. Worship is the recognition of God for who He is, what He has done, and what you are trusting Him to do. It is giving God His kudos. It is giving God the praise that His name deserves. And they did it through the worship of Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is our point of access to the Father in heaven.

You skip Him, you miss the Father. So they have their worship service. But we're told that some were doubtful. They were there, but they had question marks. Even though they were doubtful, they were still there. They didn't let their doubts keep them home. They let their doubts bring them out. So even if you have some questions when you see the chaos in the world, are they going to drive you to retreat or are they going to drive you to draw near?

They at least let their questions bring them near. And they worshiped. After they worshiped, it was time for the sermon. Jesus Christ steps up to the podium because He's the pulpitia for the day.

Jesus Christ lets out a blow-your-mind kind of statement. It says, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Translation, I'm in charge up there and I'm in charge down here. I'm in charge in the sweet by and by, but I'm also running things in the nasty here and now. I'm in charge forever and I'm in charge now.

I run both shows. The Greek word authority is the Greek word ekusia. There are a number of Greek words for power or authority in the New Testament.

The one noted most is dunamis. That's like where we get our English word dynamite from. It's explosive power, but that's not the word He uses here. The word ekusia has to do with authority in legitimate hands.

It has to do with the legitimate right to exercise power. Let's go back to football. The players are younger, stronger, and faster than the officiating crew. They've been lifting weights, they've been running, they've been training, they've been working out. So they've got dunamis. But the officiating crew has ekusia, because they've got a whistle and a yellow flag. They're outnumbered on the field of play. You've got 11 on offense, 11 on defense, who are younger, stronger, and faster. The officiating crew is older, slower, and fatter. So they're outmanned when it comes to power, but not when it comes to authority, because they can blow the whistle and stop the show.

They can throw the flag and penalize you, because even though you outnumber them and you've got more dunamis, you don't have more ekusia, because they've got the badge of authority. Guess what Jesus says? I'm in charge now, not only up there, heaven and earth. I'm in charge down here.

I'm running the show. What Jesus is claiming is that He has been designated by the Father to operate on His behalf in history. He wants to call the shots for history. He wants to call the shot not only for your life. He wants to call the shots for your family. He wants to call the shots for your business. He wants to call the shots for your church. He wants to call the shots for your politicians. He wants to call the shots for your leaders. We wouldn't nearly have this mess at this level if Jesus was allowed to be in charge. And I'm not talking about some ethereal in-charging that's out there in Never-Never Land, because remember, He said, heaven and earth, eternity and time.

But then He comes and He explains why this matters. If we're going to fix this madness, solve this mess, on both the issues of injustice and the pain and the history and the circumstances that keep it going generationally, or the issue of righteousness, the right response based on God's Word, we're going to put these twin towers together since from God's throne, again, Psalm 89 and 14, comes righteousness and justice. These are not seesaws to go up and down.

These are twins who are joined at the hip. You don't skip injustice and call for righteousness. You don't skip righteousness in the name of injustice.

No, you've got to go for both, because Jesus says, I'm running the show now, so I should call the shots based on my book. Dr. Evans will talk more about the transformative power of discipleship when he returns with Part 2 of today's message in just a moment. One of the things that sets Christianity apart from all other faiths is that it didn't begin with us seeking God.

It began with God seeking us. He wants to meet your eternal needs, so He's hard at work to prepare you for the future. And because the Lord uses all your past and present experiences to build upon, Dr. Evans says God can turn your yesterdays, no matter what they look like, into better tomorrows. God is up to something great, and that's the title of an uplifting book he's written that explores how the positives and negatives in your life all add up to an encouraging future. We'd like to send it to you as a way of saying thanks when you make a contribution to help support Tony's work here on the air and around the world.

And as an added bonus for a limited time, we'll bundle the God is Up to Something Great book, along with CDs or digital downloads of all ten full-length lessons in Dr. Evans' brand-new series, Bold Belief. Just visit us at TonyEvans.org to get the details on this special double offer and make the arrangements before time runs out. Again, that's TonyEvans.org. Or call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222.

That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat that contact information for you after part two of today's message and this. How do you share the Gospel with confidence? What's God's plan for our communities?

Why does the Old Testament matter to your faith today? Those are just a few of the questions you'll get answered when you enroll in the Tony Evans Training Center, an interactive online study experience with Dr. Tony Evans, where you can grow in your knowledge of God's Word and learn to advance His Kingdom agenda in your life. Visit TonyEvansTraining.org to get started today.

That's TonyEvansTraining.org. He says, here's what I want you to do. I want you to make disciples. Now, this passage gets watered down, because it gets watered down to mean make Christians.

Now, don't get me wrong. You need to become a Christian if you're going to be a disciple. But he's talking about more than getting a passport to heaven. Trusting Jesus Christ as your personal sin-bearer forgives you of your sins and gives you the free gift of eternal life for heaven. But his authority is not just in heaven.

It's on earth. He says, I need some folk who will follow me in history. A kingdom disciple is a person who reflects the values of heaven in the decisions that have to be made on earth. He says there are three things you've got to do if you're serious about becoming a disciple.

He says, go baptize and teach. And go means go. It means don't stay.

It means publicly represent me. And that has to show up in your decisions. Your walk, not your talk. Your life, not your lip. Your movement, not your mouth. Second thing he says is I want you to baptize them.

Now, he doesn't mean just get them wet. Our commitment to Christ must be defined by the blood. It must be defined by our unified commitment to Him. He is our identity. That's what it means to be baptized.

It has to do with your classification. And you must be Christian first. If you're not Christian first, then you have insulted Christ. Yes, keep your humanity. God is not calling all of us to be the same. He's calling us to wear the same uniform, though, without losing the uniqueness that He's given each of us in the spheres of our influence.

It is time for the Church of Jesus Christ to wear the same uniform publicly, not just privately in church where the other team's not there. That you are to be defined by your faith, not by your feelings. If mother was wrong, mother was wrong. If daddy was wrong, daddy was wrong. If my race is wrong, my race is wrong. If the community is wrong, community is wrong. If the politicians are wrong, politicians are wrong.

If the police are wrong, police are wrong. Why? Because I'm wearing one uniform here, and it's defined in my decision-making by Jesus Christ. I'm calling it like He calls it on every level of life. He says, no, you're to be baptized.

You're to put on this uniform. And then He says, teach them. Teach them to observe whatever I command you. Teach them doctrine. Teach them pneumatology, ecclesiology, eschatology, angelology, anthropology. Teach them all the ologies, but the whole point of the ologies is to observe.

In other words, teach them how to live it, not just learn it. We get a lot of amens. Praise the Lord.

Hallelujah. We get a lot of learning, but Jesus doesn't just give authority to learners. He gives authority to observers. He gives people who are ready to implement His truth not just discuss it.

Pontifications are everywhere. Everybody has a thought. Everybody has an idea.

Well, let me explain something. There are two answers to every question— God's answer and everybody else's. And everybody else is wrong when they disagree with Him. God has spoken, and He has not stuttered. He's spoken about racism. He's spoken about injustice. He's spoken about classism. He's spoken about culturalism. He's spoken about politics. He's spoken about freedom.

He's spoken about all the systemic injustices as well as injustices that come from our personal hearts. God has spoken about all these subjects, but what we do, unfortunately, is pick and choose. And we don't deal with the whole counsel of God. He said, no, you teach Him to observe it, and not only in church, but in the workplace, in the political spheres. That's what you do.

We don't have enough disciples who observe all that He's commanded, not just the parts that they like. That's what it says. He closes with a statement.

He says, and I will be with you always, even until the end of the age. Now, in the Greek text, we call this the ego ami construction. The word I is written twice. If you were to read it literally, it would say, I, even I, will be with you. But they didn't write the word I twice.

They just intensified the word I and lo I. That means, show enough me. I will hang out with you if you are this. Not if you're a Christian, if you're a disciple. A person growing in relationship to me who is simultaneously submitted to my rule in every category, and who do it publicly, not just privately. Let me put it another way. Jesus does not relate to all Christians equally.

It doesn't matter your color, your culture. You know, in St. John chapter 2, verses 23 to 25, you read a statement. It says, Many believed in Him. Many became Christians.

The Greek phrase, pistouo eis, always means to become a Christian. Many believed in Him, got saved, got converted. But then it goes on to say, But He would not commit Himself to them, because He knew what was in them.

Whoa! They got saved, but He wouldn't entrust Himself. He wouldn't commit Himself.

Why? Because they weren't committed yet. They were on their way to heaven, but He couldn't use them on earth. They had believed in Him for eternal life, but He wasn't ready to impart His authority to them, because they weren't all in yet. The reason why we're not seeing prayer as the answer, the reason why we're not seeing calm in the middle of our storms, socially, politically, economically, racially, and even medically, is because He doesn't have enough full-time commitment. We have the ability to change God's mind. And God's mind, trust me, is the one we need to change.

But we will not change His mind until we change the comprehensive nature of our commitment. We have watered down Christianity to be heavenly and not historically implemented. It says, I will be with you always, even until the end of the eighth. I'm going to hang out with that kind of Christian, that kind of church, that kind of pastor, that kind of family, who live it out publicly in all areas of life. So there's a call, a clarion call. It's a call for kingdom disciples, men and women, pursuing an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ while submitting to His authority, even when they don't prefer what the rule book says. When He sees that, and the broader He sees that, especially coming out of our churches, then He's comfortable sharing His ekusia, because He knows we're producing disciples, not just church members.

We're producing people who are all in, not just there for the program. This is a serious meeting Jesus called, because this is serious authority He came to offer. There's a call now for kingdom disciples.

There's no issue we face now to which the Lord of heaven and earth doesn't have an answer. Dr. Tony Heavens, with an encouraging look at the power-filled call for believers in Christ. Now a full-length version of today's lesson, Calling Kingdom Disciples, is available from us to help you more deeply explore this powerful topic, including many elements we didn't have time to share on the air. It's also part of the brand-new collection of messages Tony began today called Bold Belief. The Bible has a lot to say about boldness, and in this engaging series, Dr. Heavens unpacks those biblical truths, helping you learn how to respond to God's call, to be filled with His peace and power, and live a life free from fear, empowered by His Spirit living inside you. As I mentioned earlier, we're making available a special double offer that includes this entire 10-lesson Bold Belief series on CD or digital download, along with a copy of Tony's uplifting book, God is Up to Something Great. This bundle is our gift to you, and thanks for your donation to help support the ministry of the alternative.

It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you.

That's 1-800-800-3222. The most common motto in scouting is be prepared. That's good advice for when you're planning a trek into the wilderness, but it's also something you should practice in your interactions with God. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans will lay out what we should be doing in preparation for receiving answers to our prayers. Be sure to join us for that. And in the meantime, do like the scouts and do a good turn daily as you look for ways to spread kindness to those you meet. The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you.