Final Reflection

Read the written reflection you wrote for 1.4 due at the end of the first week of this course. Consider the expectations you had that you can evaluate what actually transpired. How do your expectations compare and/or contrast to reality? Does this exercise offer you any insights you are willing to share?

One of the first expectations I noted at the beginning of the semester was to grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. I believe I have done that and grown in greater appreciate in what it means to follow Christ and be sanctified by His truth, for His word is truth. His Word must pervade our entire being, andI feel I have freely allowed God into the nooks and crannies of my soul so I can become more like Him. The following is a part of a post I have yet to share on social media.

"In todays culture we tend to preach Christ to get others to convert; yet in reality the true call is to consider the cost before picking up your cross (Or in other words, before becoming a disciple, consider what it will cost you). Hear me out … It is misleading to tell someone Jesus loves them, get them to say a prayer so they can escape hell, and then say yes to Jesus without telling them what it costs. Those may be all true and great things, but it’s missing pieces of the puzzle. Do not hear what I’m not saying. It is a wonderful thing to reach people for Christ, but if saying a prayer doesn’t lead to becoming a disciple, we’ve missed the mark. This entails a life long process of surrender, sacrifice, and service. Preach the full measure of Jesus Christ and see His love pervade the hearts of those who need Him the most. Don’t water down the gospel to accommodate todays culture. Christ has overcome the world, thus, He triumphs culture too."

This class, alongside some other readings I have done in conjunction with our class, has helped form and reform my definition of what true discipleship and evangelism truly looks like. I find it is often our our stubborn strongholds that align our minds with a particular idea of what "X" looks like. When it doesn't, we seem to fail and become uspet for really no reason at all. We beat ourself up when God is showing us grace upon grace. God is not looking for converts, but truly for disciples who have considered the cost and know that they will be rewarded far beyond what they can imagine in the life to come. I think one of the hardest things in this is not necessarily doing it, but doing it in the right manner of love, faith, and good will, and refraining from doing it out of works-righteousness, knowing we can't do anything to earn "more" of God's love, for God demonstrated all of His love when Jesus died for us in our worst possible state.