“Jesus came and told His disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)
Recently I asked someone a question that I believe is important for each believer in Jesus to ask. This is the question: “If every believer in Jesus was just like me, how effectively would the Great Commandment (Commission) be fulfilled?”
A more personal way to ask the same question might be: “If everyone’s efforts to reach the lost were just like mine, how quickly would the world be won to Jesus?” Contextually, the Lord was speaking to His disciples; thus, the implication was to them individually and collectively. Which raises some questions. First, are you connected to a church body that is committed to reaching the lost? And, if so, what is their strategy? And especially if you are not connected to an active body of believers, what is YOUR strategy to reach the lost?
As a rule, evangelical churches do some form of evangelism during their normal services. They invite people to come to Christ during the course of a worship service; however, that in and of itself doesn’t help reach the vast majority of people who never darken the doors of a church or the ones who do attend a church that doesn’t even preach the Gospel.
Ultimately, if we as individual believers don’t take it upon ourselves to learn a relevant, meaningful, and simple way to present our faith to our lost friends and loved ones, the very real possibility is, they will never learn who Jesus is, at least not in a way that would encourage them to open their heart and life to Him. What’s commonly referred to as “the Roman Road” is a firm foundation for understanding the basic steps to helping someone understand their need of a Savior.
But we must understand that our words, no matter how well rehearsed, will not lead anyone to Jesus. If our heart isn’t focused on Jesus and our words flowing from a heart of love for Him, we’re wasting our time. I’ve learned the most important way to prepare to share my faith is to spend time with the Lord allowing Him to build my faith to the point I can’t help but share it.
Understanding that tools can be very helpful, please tap the link to go to Ray Comfort’s website livingwaters.com and peruse the many resources he has available to help you learn different ways to help people come to the Lord. The bottom line is, we are accountable to the Lord for our obedience to His direct command to share His story with those who are lost.
Please understand, this isn’t about guilt or shame, it’s about our responsibility to the Lord to do what He’s asked us to do. Don’t you want to obey Him? If not, why are you professing to follow Him. Obedience is a qualification of discipleship. To profess faith in Jesus without any intention of obeying His directives is blasphemous. He called us to follow Him, to become like Him, to share His life and love with others. Those, like the Great Commission, aren’t suggestions to be pondered, they are commands to be obeyed.
Perhaps the weakness of the modern church is in direct correlation with the weakness of our personal faith, based on our misunderstanding of who we are in Christ. Yes, of course, we’re His beloved child, blood bought and redeemed, but we’re also His servant, His slave, subject to His directives.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 