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DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE
Read Matthew 9:35-38.
We all have a responsibility to pass on the Gospel
message. Jesus needs workers who can relate to others, understanding their
probable level of acceptance. We can comfort others and show them the way
to live because we have followed that path to salvation ourselves. Jesus
looked at the crowds following him and referred to them as a field ripe for
harvest. Many people are ready to give their lives to Christ if someone
would show them how. Be prepared for God to use you to show another person
the way to him.
Read Matthew 13:1-23 (key verse 8).
This parable should encourage those
who teach, preach, and lead others. The farmer sowed good seed, but not all
the seed sprouted, and even the plants that grew had varying yields. Don’t
be discouraged if you do not always see results as you faithfully teach the
Word. Rather, it is a miracle of God’s Holy Spirit as he uses your words to
lead others to him.
Read Matthew 28:16-20 (key verses 19,20).
Jesus commanded his followers
to carry out evangelism. God gave Jesus authority over heaven and earth. On
the basis of that authority, Jesus told his disciples to make more
disciples as they preached, baptized, and taught. With this same authority,
Jesus still commands us to tell others the Good News and make them
disciples for the kingdom. We are to go—whether it is next door or to
another country—and make disciples. It is not an option, but a command to
all who call Jesus “Lord.” We are not all evangelists in the formal sense,
but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfill the Great
Commission. As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is
always with us.
Read John 4:1-26 (key verse 15).
Sometimes results of evangelism take
time and patience. The woman mistakenly believed that if she received the
water Jesus offered, she would not have to return to the well each day. She
was interested in Jesus’ message because she thought it could make her life
easier. Christ did not come to take away challenges, but to change us on
the inside and to empower us to deal with problems from God’s perspective.
It takes time to accept something that changes the very foundations of your
life. Sharing the gospel will not always have immediate results.
Read Acts 1:1-11 (key verse 8).
After seeing the resurrected Christ, the
disciples were fearless and risked everything to spread the Good News about
him around the world. They faced imprisonment, beatings, rejection, and
martyrdom, yet they never compromised their mission. These men would not
have risked their life for something they knew was a fraud. They knew Jesus
was raised from the dead, and the early church was fired with their
enthusiasm to tell others. It is important to know this so we can have
confidence in their testimony. Twenty centuries later we can still be
confident that our faith is based on fact.
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