LET US GO ON

1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary [principles] of Christ, let us go on to perfection^[1], not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

3 And this we will do if God permits.

The call to "go on," is proceeded by the command to "leave."  More literally it might read, "abandoning once for all … let us be carried along^[2]."  There can be no going on until there is a leaving.  Abraham had to leave Ur to go to Canaan.  Paul had to leave Judaism to go on with Christ. The leaving that is commanded here is akin to the carpenter's leaving of the foundation as he goes on to build the structure.  While a good foundation is essential, it is not the end objective.  We are called to apprehend that for which we were apprehended (Ph'p. 3:12). 

In Chapter Five, the writer of Hebrews informs us of the immaturity of his readers. 

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the sayings of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food" (5:12).

In contemporary terms, though they ought to be involved in ministry they still need someone to minister the basics to them. 

There is no greater symptom of the church's immaturity than the absence of committed laborers within her ranks—men and women who have matured enough to fulfill God's purpose in their communities. On any given day bus loads of sight seeing Christians travel through spiritually needy neighborhoods headed for some spiritual hotspot.  They are so busy seeking another spiritual thrill that they fail to see the need for laborers   

Jesus never meant for the Church He purchased to be an emaciated anemic powerless fossil.  According to Paul, the Church Jesus is coming for is to be "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing" (Eph. 5:27).  Wrinkles in our spiritual clothing are the result of sleeping in our robes of righteousness.  Spotted garments are the product of toying with the filthiness of this world.  God did not save us so we could slumber until He returns. He has commanded us to remain unspotted from the world (James 1:27) and He has called us to occupy till He returns (Luke 19:13).  The term "occupy" means "to carry on business" or "to be occupied with His business."

What is this business?

            Preach the gospel (Mk. 16:15).

                        In word (Mk. 16:20)

                        In deed (Mk. 16:16-18)

            Make disciples (Mt. 28:19).

                        By baptizing them (Mt. 28:19)

                        By teaching them to observe all of His commandments (Mt. 28:20)

Nowhere did Jesus command us to become spiritual sightseers.  To the contrary, He called us to involvement.  He used commands that incorporated verbs like "go," "preach", "teach."  Where are the busloads headed? Are they going to the fields as laborers or to conventions as tourists?

What is the problem?

How can modern Christians amen Matthew 28:19, while failing to get involved in the work of the Kingdom.  If we believe evangelism and discipleship are important to Jesus, then why is the work of the Kingdom being done by 5% of the Kingdom's population?  Is it possible that 100% of the laborers are involved, but only 5% are effective?  If so, then the crisis would be one of powerlessness and not a lack of committed laborers.  It is my personal opinion that both are a problem.  There is a need for committed laborers and empowered laborers—those who are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

• The fact that the fellowship hall is bigger than the prayer room indicates something.

• The disparity between Sunday morning Church attendance and Sunday night attendance, in most Churches, indicates something.

• The fact that people verbally commit to ministry, but fail to fulfill their commitments is indicative of something. 

What is the answer?

In Luke 8:26-40, we are told the story of Jesus ministry to the demoniac of Gadara. Jesus delivered this violent man, whom no one could help, in full view of His wide-eyed disciples.  In Luke 9:1-3, Jesus empowered His disciples and sent them out to preach, cast out devils, and cure diseases.  In essence, He sent them out to do what they had seen Him doing.  The campaign must have been a success, as Luke tells us, "the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done" (9:10). 

Later, in this same chapter we are told that while Jesus, Peter, John, and James are on the Mount of Transfiguration, some of the disciples were experiencing a ministry crisis.

Luke 9:37 (NKJV) Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 "And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams [at] [the] [mouth], and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 "So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed [him]. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God….

Why were the disciples able to cast out devils in the 9:1 campaign, but failed in Luke 9:40?  When the disciples asked Jesus this question, He cited their unbelief as the problem.  He didn't mention this is 9:1, so why does He mention it now?  

The church must understand that gifted moments aren't indicative of maturity.  It's time understood that the gift of faith (a moment of supernatural faith), is not the same as developed faith (the level of our faith when the gift moment has passed). 

In the shadow of the Mount of Transfiguration, these disciples were faced with the fact that it was time to take another step—IT WAS TIME TO GO ON!  Jesus indicated that sustaining this kind of ministry was the result of fasting and prayer.

If the Church and its individual members are to be what God intended, then we must go on.  We must intensify our commitment to prayer.  It's time to get involved and stay committed to the task at hand. 

For far too long the Church has been crippled by lack of commitment.  Self-centered sightseers have passed themselves off as "God Chasers," and the Church has paid in terms of effectiveness.  We know more about bread stores than we do about making bread.  We'll spend hours going to the latest spiritual spa, but fail to show up for a one hour prayer meeting at our home church.  Youngsters are denied the privilege of a godly Royal Ranger leader, because potential laborers were busy "seeking God."  It's time to quit playing church and grow up and go on!

CONCLUSION

If we're going to GO ON, then we must leave some things behind.  We can continue to maintain status quo or we can kick it up a notch.  HOW?

1.                   By actively and consistently praying and seeking God for empowerment.  Lest we mistake human effort for divine empowerment, we must seek God for the fullness of His Spirit.  On the other hand, how many personal prophecies do we need before we go on?  How many "good services" must we attend before we start doing what God has enabled us to do?  It's time to go on!

2.                   By moving to a new level of commitment.  We must abandon a volunteer mindset that has robbed us of dedicated and consecrated workers.  These "volunteers" remind me of a carpenter who was employed by ACME Building Contractors.  After working there for a couple of months he didn't show up for a week.  When he came to collect his paycheck that Friday, the boss asked him where he'd been.  "Oh," he replied, "on my way to the job site this past Monday, I noticed a new contractor was building an office building, but that he was short handed.  You have a large crew, so I figured you wouldn't mind if I helped the new contractor out."  Some of us need to find out where God has called us to minister and get busy.  If you're going to teach a Sunday School class at Point Assembly, then you need to know that the class meets at 10 a.m. every Sunday morning, not 10:30.  You need to understand that a duck blind on the lake isn't what you've committed to.  If you're supposed to be playing an instrument in the worship band on Sunday night, then that's where you need to be.  It's time we take commitment seriously and it's time we make a serious commitment to God's purpose for our life.  If you've been called to itinerant ministry, then resign your pastorate.  You can't be a pastor and preach 20 revivals a year.  If you're called to sing in a different Church every Sunday, then you might want to consider resigning your eldership.  Eldership isn't a trans-local ministry. If you're going to be a Cell Leader, then learn what you need to know to fulfill God's will for your life.  IT'S TIME TO QUIT PLAYING CHURCH AND BE THE CHURCH.  It's time to grow up and go on!

3.                   We can begin facing reality and quit living the illusion that one day it's going to happen.  We must come to see that the harvest is in need of laborers right now and that by waiting "one day" we are placing the harvest in jeopardy.  It's time we cease waiting for some glorious moment and start doing what God has called and enabled us to do.  The ten-year-old boy in your Sunday School class needs a loving teacher who is there every Sunday.  It's time to grow up and go on!