Quality vs. Quantity | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Quality vs. Quantity | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
03/12/24
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In both the virgin and talent parables, we see the need for human souls to make the necessary choices now, in order to be prepared for what theologians refer to as The Rapture (1), or our own individual departure (2), whichever comes first.

The window of opportunity to become a born again believer, and then an advancing disciple of the Church Age, closes when the Rapture (or our individual departure) takes place.

The first choice, to believe or to disbelieve, takes place when we are presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message.
This choice determines WHERE we, as individuals, will be spending ALL of eternity.

The second choice determines HOW every born again believer will experience eternity, that being with or without the rewards and privileges that are reserved for advancing disciples.

Once one is born again, the issue of WHERE he or she will be spending ALL of eternity has been forever settled.

However, the decision to engage in discipleship, that being the ongoing study (3) and application (4) of the Word of God, is a moment to moment, day to day, choice we make.

These choices do not change WHERE the born-again believer will spend eternity (5), but do impact HOW (with or without reward and privileges) eternity is going to be experienced.

ALL advancing disciples are born-again believers, but not all born-again, Heaven bound believers, enter into or necessarily remain, in discipleship (6).

Advancing disciples participate in the Great Commission (7).

Born again believers who do not become disciples remain saved (8),but will forfeit the additional reward (9) and privileges (10) that they would have otherwise received and enjoyed, had they become disciples.

The Lord is interested in the quality of the production of any given advancing disciple.

God the Holy Spirit determines the number of souls that any given disciple or ministry is going to evangelize or edify.

Throughout the course of an advancing disciple’s post salvation spiritual life, some will be personally involved in the evangelization or edification of let’s say, 50 souls, whereas for others it might be as many as 50,000 or more!

Just one saved or edified soul a week, over the course of just one year, would total 52. One a day would add up to 365.

With these annual figures being multiplied by the total years of one’s post salvation spiritual life, one could see the great contribution that he or she can individually make towards the overall fulfillment of the Great Commission.

With present-day pastor-teachers and advancing disciples making use of the Internet, cell phones, and social media to evangelize or to edify souls, the sky’s the limit!

We don’t know how long this window of opportunity will remain open.

The devil, and those who do his bidding, is certainly making use of such things to promote their agenda.

It’s up to YOU to get on board (11), prepare yourself (12), and then invest your time wisely (13).

Note that in the parable of talents, some servants were given more talents to invest than others.

We are here to do the work that God has individually given to us, based on what He knew would be our opportunities.

The individual plan that God has in mind for each advancing disciple includes the identity of each and every soul with whom he or she will be given the opportunity to share the unadulterated Gospel Message, or an edifying principle of Bible Doctrine.

Note that the ripple effect of our input might even continue even after we have departed.

We are individually accountable for our response to each opportunity that God gives to us to either evangelize (share the Gospel Message) or to edify (share a principle of Bible Doctrine) others.

We are responsible for the accuracy of the information we convey, but we are NOT responsible for what the recipients choose to do with the information we provide.

As sealed (14 ) children of God, the salvation process is finished.

But as disciples, we will continue to be a work in progress on this side of Heaven.

We have an adversary who desires to destroy the potential impact of the plan that God has in mind for each one of us.

Through our silence, we will all suffer blown opportunities, but we should at least be found trying to accomplish the work that we were given to do, when the Rapture (or our individual time of departure) takes us home (15).
______

(1) 1Thess. 4: 16, 17 (2) Luke 12: 20 (3) 2Pet. 3: 18 (4) James 1: 22 (5) Romans 8: 1 (6) Mark 4: 19 (7) Matt. 28: 19-20 (8) Rom. 8: 1 (9) 1Cor. 3: 14) (10) Rev. 2/Rev. 3 (11) Matt. 16: 24 (12) 1Pet. 3: 15 (13) Prov. 11: 30 (14) Eph. 4: 30 (15) Luke 18: 8/Eph. 2: 10

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