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
Do you recognize this scripture passage? It is known as The Great Commission. Jesus commands each and every believer to go everywhere and teach the gospel of Christ to every person on earth. Of course, no one person can possibly reach every soul on the earth, but Jesus made it plain that we are all combined into His body, and each of us is a member of that body. United we can do the job that Jesus delegated to us, His Church.
Now, we are to share Jesus with everyone we meet who is willing to hear. We must also attempt to make a new disciple of that person. Over hundreds of years, Christianity has grown larger as a religion but has heaven been filling up? I wonder if less time spent on divisions, false teachings, and trivial backbiting and more effort given to the GO AND TEACH COMMAND of Christ in unity of purpose is more of what Jesus meant. Ahh yes ... but wouldn't that require more love?
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. ~ 1 John 5:20-21 NLT
Have you ever been assigned a task with a pressing deadline? If completed on time and per specifications, your team will receive bonuses and pay raises! But what if your team's performance is hindered by disagreements? You might lose everything you worked for and dreamed of in the way of achievement in the eyes of your employer - just because the team doesn't pull together and respect each other for the talents each brings to the project.
This scenario mirrors a lot of what I am seeing today in Christ's Church (body of believers). Too many bosses and not enough laborers; too many excuses and not enough willingness; too much criticism and not enough encouragement. There is too much dogma and not enough Christ.
He said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields." ~ Matthew 9:37-38 NLT
So, something to think about in 2022: Go and teach. And love one another while you are at it!
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
~ 1 John 4:7-8 NLT
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.
~ 1 John 4:11-12 NLT
PC: Can Stock Photo Inc./leolintang
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