We are quick to recommend stuff, but how readily we share the best best gift we’ve ever received?
Tag: great commission
Paul reminds us how we’ve received two gifts from God: reconciliation for ourselves and the message of reconciliation to extend to others.
By the time we’ve hit middle age, though, we have somehow become wildly opposed to change. We’ve created routines and we cling to them like life rafts. They are soothing and safe. Most of us won’t change jobs or move across the street (let alone across the country). We don’t even want to alter our coffee order if we can help it. Is this really God’s best intention for us?
We are called to be seed-casters. We have one job: faithfully spreading the seed everywhere we go. We cannot afford to get discouraged and drop out in stretches where we don’t yet see a yield.
The church as a whole is distracted, distant and distraught. A global pandemic plus isolation plus rapid inflation has sent many folks into personal tailspins and the body of Christ is limping along severely dismembered.
Jesus called us to love before He called us to preach and before He filled us with power.
As cosy as our home is, comfort will not cause us to grow. And the Great Commission will not be fulfilled while we are in our jammies. ‘Go’ is a vital part of the instruction. And truly, isolation leads to spiritual deconstruction: we’ve made the enemy’s efforts so much easier when we refuse to leave the house.
Here’s the thing: there are no exclusions on the gospel. No blackout dates or destinations.
A working understanding of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission enables us to hold the door open for the unbeliever.
It’s hard for some to believe that God delights in us, but I’ve been a parent long enough to be convinced of this truth. I delight in my kids. I enjoy their presence, their personality, their affection, their interests, their accomplishments, their perspective. Even when they are being ugly, I’m able to remember who they truly are.