As our Breakout Memory Challenge is open for enrollment right now, and lots of new members are joining our community thanks to kind efforts by partner ministries to help us get out the word, this classic post seemed the perfect article for this week's Monday Memo. Discover what drives us here at FAST!



This past weekend, I had the privilege of being able to speak in one of the churches in my area. I entitled my message "Foundations" and in it, suggested the foundational secrets to finishing the work were all encoded right within the Great Commission itself. In particular, these secrets can be linked to three key words. Here they are:

Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

In today's Memo, I'd like to take a few moments to talk about the implications of each of these words.

1. Observe
The first word I want to emphasize is the word "observe". Jesus gave clear instructions in the Great Commission that we were to teach every new believer how to "observe" the things He taught. It's an easy word to overlook--but considering it is the one thing we are commanded to teach, it perhaps deserves more attention.

Tracing the Greek word used here down through the New Testament, suggests it involves guarding, keeping, or locking up the Word of God in our heart. It's used, for example, to describe the centurion assigned to guard Jesus at the cross (Matthew 27:54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.). To describe the jailor assigned to lock up Paul and Silas at Philippi (Acts 16:23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:). To describe the fallen angels bound in unbreakable chains (Jude 1:6And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.). All these paint a picture of how important it is to internalize the Word of God. To guard it in our heart, lock it up in our mind, keep it bound in our memory. To memorize it.

Of course, memorizing Scripture was not a new command. The Old Testament is filled with commands to store the Bible in our heart, and the New Testament with commands to hold it fast. Proverbs puts it this way:

Proverbs 7:1,3
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. . . . Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

At FAST, this is one of our foundational principles. We encourage every new member to get started with our Crash Course in Bible Memorization, or if you are in a training center church, to work through our Survival Kit. We also have powerful memorization tools like the Engine available on our site. And twice a year we offer our flagship Breakout Memory Challenge, teaching our most advanced memorization principles.

We believe every Christian, can and should hold FAST to Scripture (Revelation 3:11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.). Filling one's heart with God's Word is a powerful way to jump start the growth process, and prepares the way for our next two foundations.

2. Commanded
The second word that stands out is the word "commanded". It's easy to focus on the doctrines of the Bible. And there is a certain amount of instruction a person needs before baptism, if they are to make an intelligent decision about joining a church. And certainly, a lifetime of study after baptism! But the emphasis in the Great Commission is teaching the commands of the Bible.

That is, Christianity is more a call to a way of life than to a creed. In fact believers were called followers of "the way" long before they were called Christians (Acts 9:2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.). Given the doctrinal confusion in the world today, we should be serious about theology. But we need to be serious about its application too!

A quick perusal of the Sermon on the Mount makes it clear the vast majority of what Jesus taught was about practical day to day living. Jesus taught we are to take the letter of the law (thou shalt not kill or commit adultery), and apply it practically to our lives (don't be angry or have impure thoughts). This is what Isaiah meant when he prophesied the Messiah would "magnify the law, and make it honourable" (Isaiah 42:21The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.).

The Law of Moses actually links this idea of application with memorization--by calling us in dozens of places to both "keep" and "do" what the Bible says. Memorization allows us to meditate on Scripture. Application requires us to reflect on our life. Without combining these two, there is no transformation. To quote the Psalmist:

Psalms 119:59-60
59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. 60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

The practical nuts and bolts of the Christian life, is a second foundational principle at FAST. We encourage every believer to combine memorization with application. To go from knowledge, to understanding, to wisdom. Our emphasis on personal discipleship is designed to encourage a deeper commitment to the will of God. And courses like Basic Training and our ROCKET time management system, are designed to encourage faithful implementation of God's will. It is not enough to hold FAST to Scripture, we must stand FAST in its commands (I Corinthians 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.).

3. Baptizing
The third word in the Great Commission I want to emphasize today is the word "baptizing". It reminds me that every believer is called to reach out to a lost world, and draw others to Christ. Being baptized may mark the beginning of our Christian journey, but that journey should lead to seeing others baptized through our efforts.

Jesus was clear about what communion with Him should accomplish. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.). "He ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,). Time with Him, following Him, should lead us to become effective communicators of the Gospel, effective fishers of men.

Every believer is equipped with specific spiritual gifts. They also have special talents, resources, abilities. And just as surely as God has a unique place for us in heaven, He has a unique work for us here on earth. Learning to identify the ministry God has called us to individually, and execute it faithfully is a powerful third foundation. Or to quote the apostle Paul:

Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Empowering believers for ministry is a third foundational principle at FAST. From providing tools to help believers disciple others to equipping them with skills to lead an effective Care Group, our goal has long been to help transform every church into a training center. In 2018, we introduced several new classes along this line as well--including an all new Unleashed Ministry Model and our Worker Tools class on ministry development.

Our goal is to see every believer build a ministry that wins souls to Christ. To hold FAST is good. To also stand FAST is better. But time is short, and the work is vast. And what's finally needed, is to learn to work FAST (Ezra 5:8Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.).

Conclusion
From the beginning, our strategy at FAST has been three-fold: to help believers take in God's Word, live it out, and pass it on. To hold fast, stand fast, work fast. These three steps are foundational to finishing the work. And they are encoded right into the Great Commission itself.

Are you making progress on all three steps?

Comments

How important do you think each of these foundations are? What might happen were every believer to focus more on these areas? Feel free to suggest ways FAST can do more to help people build these foundations into their lives...

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