EMBRACING THE MATTHEW APPROACH:
ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
(Matthew 9:9-13)
Embracing the Matthew Challenge means…
- Ex_______________ your faith _________ Christ. (v.9)
- Ex_______________ your hand _________ Christ. (vv.10-11)
- Ex_______________ the Kingdom ________ Christ. (vv.12-13)
“Somewhere along the way, amid varying cultural tides and popular church trends, it seems that we have minimized Jesus’ summons to total abandonment. Churches are filled with supposed Christians who seem content to have casual association with Christ while giving nominal adherence to Christianity. Scores of men, women, and children have been told that becoming a follower of Jesus simply involves acknowledging certain facts or saying certain words. But this is not true. …[T]he call to follow Jesus is not simply an invitation to pray a prayer;
it’s a summons to lose our lives.”
(David Platt, Follow Me: A Call to Die, a Call to Live, 3-4)
“Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20)