Good day
In Part 6 I mentioned that the disciples/apostles obeyed the great commission (Mark 16:20) and that although it was given to them, it was the believers that were scattered that preached the good news about Jesus wherever they went. They took on that commission and they in turn went and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ as well. The outcome we saw was that the word of the Lord was spread through the regions, that the church increased in number, that the word of the Lord grew mightily! ... and that based on this - we can see the success that comes when everyone chooses to participate in the great commission!
For today's message, I'd like to build on this by sharing what their impact means for us today:
I'm sure that if there was a way for us to trace back from the person that led us to Christ, to the person that led them to Christ, to the person that led that person to Christ, etc. that we'd probably end up at one of those people who obeyed the great commission found in the days of the early church.
Consider the role they played in getting Christianity to where it is today!
We're here today, with so many Bibles at our disposal, so many churches to attend, so many Christian resources to read and watch, etc. All because of the diligence and faithfulness of those who have gone before us. Thank God for the obedience of the disciples and early church! (and of course taking into account the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit)
But imagine if they weren't obedient to the instructions of Jesus, imagine if they didn't persevere through all the various trials and persecution they had to endure, all their times of prayer, fasting, and relentless pursuit for the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the point of death! What would the state of the church look like today? ... Would there even be a church? ... Would we have a Bible? ... Would we know about Jesus?
Therefore I thank God for the obedience of those who have gone before us because we’re here today because of them!
Now my friend, what does this mean for us today? ... In the same way that we're the fruit of their obedience, enjoying the fruit of their labour, there are others who are waiting on us to obey the instructions of Jesus, so that they too can become a part of this great redemptive story.
Someone out there, whether now, or many years from now, will say the same thing about us because of our obedience to the great commission, and availability and obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Let others look back 100 years from now and say the same thing about us. Let them say what a great job we did so that they can still meet and gather in churches and fellowship, still have Bibles to read and still be able to freely preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let them say that Christianity is still relevant, that the word of God is still saving and transforming lives, marriages, families, communities. That the word of God is still bringing hope, freedom, mercy, forgiveness, joy, strength, healing, purpose, unity, provision, protection, reconciliation, love and encouragement to all who came to know Christ and chose to believe and act on the word of God - all because we chose to participate in the great commission and obeyed the instructions of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and fulfilled God's will, plans and purposes for our lives.
Let us be those people! Let us embrace this calling! Let us serve and reach our generation by choosing to participate in the great commission!
In the same way that we're here today because of them, I pray there will be many more who will say the same about us one day!
Amen