Post # 54
After becoming a Christian we may be confronted by the commission that Jesus gave to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.” NKJV
It is widely believed that the great commission was given to the church to preach the gospel in all nations and to make disciples of those who believe. Christians, those led by the Holy Spirit, need to pray for success for the church’s efforts worldwide. This involves evangelism, missionary work, the financial support of many people and the personal example of believers who are living godly lives.
Jesus said to pray for more laborers for the harvest.
We also need to pray that government and church leaders will call upon the Lord to seek his will in carrying out their responsibilities as his stewards over their part of the creation.
Ideally Christians should all be servant leaders who communicate with God each morning to seek his will for the day.
While the church has the primary responsibility to fulfill the commission given by Jesus, individuals can play an important role in their local communities. In the previous post we considered some steps that new Christians need to take, with God’s help, in a private way; after which they may feel a strong urge to share their experience with family and friends. Caution is recommended when relating their stories of how they became enlightened to non-Christians. Indiscriminate zeal of new Christians may do more harm than good to existing relationships, especially if they are not open to hearing and discussing the gospel.
There is a need for wise counsel at this potentially unstable time to give understanding how example and actions speak louder than words. Patience is needed to allow the new way of outgoing concern to grow and mature and become well ingrained – without any expectation of influencing others to become Christians.
We need to understand how to apply cautionary scriptures such as James 3:1-2 – “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”NIV. – Jesus is the only perfect human so far.
It is good to desire to teach others about the benefits of the faith, but we need to be sure we are being led by the Holy Spirit and not our own desires for power and influence over other people. James 1:19 says – “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” NIV. We need to listen to others to determine their interests, lifestyles and opinions about religion before engaging in spiritual conversations.
Also 1 Tim 3:6-7 – “An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.” NLT.
It sometimes takes a long time to build up a good reputation with those around us and to mature in the faith. Patience is needed in this process, which fortunately is one of the fruits of the Spirit; however, as a rule it doesn’t come overnight. In other words we have to be sure that we are practicing what we would like to preach, before we begin to preach it to others. When we are confident and secure in the Christian way of life, then we know whereof we speak.
June 6, 2011 at 10:46 pm |
Wow! You have displayed an uncommonly helpful wisdom in this post. I am very impressed with your mature understanding. Keep up the good work!