How Can we follow The Great Commission?
The Great Commission -
Matthew Chapter 28
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
All power is given to Jesus (God) so why isn't life easier for His followers? Let's start with that question.
We follow Jesus, we love Him, we believe in Him. We try to do what He taught us to do, so if He loves us and He has all power, why is life so difficult?
I have been going through some difficult times lately - well, actually - for a few years now. They are personal, financial, family, and medical and all together, they have beat me down so that some days I don't even feel like getting dressed. Do I ask "Why, Lord?" No, I don't. I trust Him. I love Him and I know He is working in my situation.
Here is why I think that even tho Jesus could make life easier, He doesn't.
1. This world is run by evil and we live here. We are surrounded by evil and we can't help being affected by it.
We also have been given free will by God. We can make decisions and sometimes they are wrong. Others also have free will and often, their bad choices affect us.
There are also certain laws in nature that God very rarely contradicts. (He put them in place, after all) If we jump off a building, we are going to fall to the ground. God is not going to make a bed of feathers for us to land on.
When you put those three things together, evil, free will, and the laws of nature, you can see that bad things are going to happen in life to everyone.
2. If Jesus made life easy for Christians all the time, everyone would be a Christian, but it would not be because they love God, it would be because they want their lives to be easy. That would not work. God wants our love to be free, not earned We don't deserve His love but He deserves our love because He sent His son to die for our sins and rose again so that we would have eternal life with Him. That is enough. Even if eternal life with Christ is all we ever get, and life here is miserable, it is still worth it.
3. And here we get to the great commission.
a. We are instructed to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The gospel is the life and instructions of Christ. How can we teach what Jesus said if everything in our own lives is going great? Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
If we don't have tribulation, we make Jesus a Liar and we can't help those who do have tribulation. Why would they listen to us? That would be like someone who has never touched alcohol trying to help an alcoholic.
No, the way we reach them is by reacting differently than the world does when we do have tribulation in our lives.
b. Jesus says He is with us always, even to the end of the world. How can we show the world that He is with us if, when bad things happen, we freak out and react just like the world? If we get angry, frustrated, give up, kill ourselves, cuss, fight, do illegal things, talk bad about people, hate, and accept the sins of this world, how can we show that we are different because of Him?
When we have tribulation - which we will (Jesus said so) we must react as Jesus would react. We must love, be calm, continue to recognize His joy, respect others, be peacemakers, and follow the laws of our land even when we disagree.
When people see that the craziness of this world happens, and we react with kindness, love and are at peace no matter what, they will want what we have. That is the only way people will want Jesus.
How are we doing at this commission? I fail daily, but I promise to keep working at it. How about you?
Blessings!
Jennifer
I really like your explanation for Christians to experience hard times. A friend always says if it's sunny all the time-how do you know it's Sunny
ReplyDelete