July 6, 2018
I am always excited to see what God is doing in the lives of young men who feel called to serve the Lord. It is not a one time decision, or even a monthly responsibility. It is a moment by moment, day by day walk with the Lord. I have asked for our pastoral staff and summer interns to share a devotion from each of them of what God is doing in their lives. I look forward to these next few days. As you read each of these devotions, may it remind you to faithfully pray for each one of these men.
I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE
TO EQUIP US TO PERFORM THE GREAT COMMISSION
Matthew 28:18-20
18] “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19] 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.”
We talk about how we are persuaded how God can work in our lives and that He will do what He promised us, but when was the last time we did what we promised God? As Christians we promised God that we would follow His commandments, but we often overlook His greatest request. We refer to this commandment as the great commission. Did you know studies show according to Barna.com that 51% of church goers don’t know what the “Great Commission” is, 25% say yes, but they can’t recall what it exactly is, 17% say they know what it is and its meaning, and 6% say I’m not sure. Though these stats may be surprising and concerning, they are very relevant. As Christians we have been very good at telling each what not to do but we have failed to tell, encourage, and support each other in what we should be doing.
The words in this passage of scripture are Jesus last words on earth and is the last command He gave us. He showed us what a Christian is supposed to do while we are here on earth, but He also wanted to make sure He also told us too. The purpose for a Christian on this earth is not to make the world a better place for everyone else or even to show good morals, there is already plenty of non-believers that do this. No, what we are called to do is to go out and proclaim all the great things God has done for us and how He saved us even though we were unworthy. The problem with today’s typical Christian is that we have drifted away from the evangelistic part of Christianity. We get saved and become on fire for God, but then we lose that fire after the first week. We settle into our weekly habits of going to church three times a week and doing our normal daily habits. A challenge we need to overcome is that we are creatures of habit. When we look at Jesus’ life it was anything but predictable. First, He was at one place, then He would be somewhere thirty miles down the road helping another family. You see Jesus had no daily habit because He was too busy investing in reaching others for His Heavenly Father. As Christians, sharing the gospel can be a bit intimidating but Jesus showed us that it doesn’t have to be. God created us all different and has put us all in different circumstances so that we can reach the people in our lives! Regardless of whether the people are our family, our friends, our coworkers, or just people we pass on the street, God has called us to be His hands and feet and to share the good news. You don’t have to come up with an elaborate speech and you don’t have to know all the answers, we are just called to teach the gospel. You can’t let doubt from the devil work in you to persuade you not to go and share, and you can’t let pride come in and stop you. A good place to start with sharing the gospel would be finding something you have in common with the person and then find a way to bring God into the conversation.
I know it can be hard, but all it has to be is a simple conversation that just starts with “Hey, how are you?”. You don’t have to convert them. All Jesus asked us was to share what God has done for us and leave the rest up to God. Just remember Jesus said in John 16:7 that because He left we have the comforter living in us. You have the Holy Spirit in you and it’s up to you now to tell the world. You may be the only Bible some people read, meaning you’re a walking testimony for the cause of Jesus if you are saved. Start today and make up your mind that you are going to share Jesus in a conversation with someone today. If you’re not sharing Jesus, then what are you doing for Him? Imagine what God could do with your willing hearts if you take this step of faith and share what Jesus has done for you. It’s time that we as Christians start being the Lord’s hands and feet and letting others know the truth. We have to live in a way that we show the world that we are persuaded God will change the world and that change starts with you.
Riley Anderson