In time, obedient followers take on the character of their leader.
SHREVEPORT – In time, obedient followers take on the character of their leader.
That’s the essence of “Consecration,” the third principle of evangelism, as described by Robert Coleman in The Master Plan of Evangelism (MPE). The first two principles were “Selection” and “Association.”
For the first three articles in this series, see www. baptistmessage.com and search for “Evangelism.”
Jesus required obedience, Coleman wrote. Required. Yet at the same time, he didn’t disown the disciples who exhibited less-than-perfect behavior. He recognized they were in the process, they were becoming more obedient as they became more submissive to his absolute sovereignty and as they absorbed more of his character.
The disciples bickered, sought prominence, were envious, indignant and unnecessarily harsh, Coleman wrote with appropriate scripture references. “Yet Jesus patiently endured these human failings of his chosen disciples, because in spite of all their shortcomings, they were willing to follow him. … He knew they could master these defects as they grew in grace and knowledge. …
“Obedience to Christ thus was the very means by which those in his company learned more truth,” Coleman continued.
“Supreme obedience was interpreted to be the expression of love,” Coleman wrote in the next section.
Jesus himself was completely obedient to God’s will, despite knowing the cost of obedience. His obedience taught his disciples.
“One must ask,” Coleman wrote, “why are so many professed Christians today stunted in their growth and ineffectual in their witness? Or to put the question in its larger context, why is the contemporary church [church of today] so frustrated in its witness to the world?
“Is it not because among the clergy and laity alike, there is a general indifference to the commands of God, or at least, a kind of contented complacency with mediocrity? … Indeed, it would appear that the teachings of Christ regarding self-denial and dedication have been replaced by [self-centeredness.]
“The great tragedy is that little is being done to correct the situation, even by those who realize what is happening,” Coleman wrote. Neither church members nor church officials seem to think obedience to God – heeding His words of instruction and direction – is of any importance.
“It is when this principle [obedience] is accepted in practice that we can develop fully, according to the next step in the Master’s strategy of conquest,” Coleman concludes. Next week, the principle of Impartation.