Its Personal

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

When Jesus challenged each one of us to go and, “make disciples,” what did He mean?

Surely, He is the ONLY One who can MAKE a disciple, so what gives? Actually, that is exactly the point – we ARE to give.

Give what? Give how? Answer: We are to give of ourselves. Translation: Be selfless.

It is amazing to think Jesus has entrusted us with building His church. Why would He do such a thing? Could He not do that work on His own? Why has He called us to that responsibility? (And it is a HUGE one, considering the eternal destiny not only of man – but of all those who live in proximity to each one of us.)

Do I somehow bear responsibility for the eternal destiny of those who live near to where I live? I believe the answer truly is: Yes.

But isn’t every man responsible for his own eternal destiny – according to God’s Word? The answer to that question is also ‘Yes.’

What am I to do? John provides both the answer and the instruction: Share what you know and Who you know. (No one can contradict you about your own personal experience.)

When we think about evangelizing anyone, the first thing that occurs to us is fear. The enemy makes certain of this by accusing us of being inadequate and uncertain of what we are to do and who we are to do it for.

Am I only evangelizing someone to make myself look good? To make a notch on my belt? That is indeed what my flesh may lead me to think, especially as Satan gets involved. (Rest assured, when the gospel is preached, God is directly involved, and Satan is directly involved.)

In part, this is why Jesus has commanded us to do this. He understands the necessity of each individual believer standing in that place between heaven and hell, and how each believer is strengthened in that place.

Now, go and make disciples.

-Pastor Bill