The focus of this entire blog has been to inspire and equip believers to evangelize a lost and dying world. But a challenge should only be given when accompanied by a reason to accept it. That will be the goal of my next several posts: to show from Scripture some of the different reasons we as Christians have an irrevocable responsibility to witness to those around us.
This first post will cover the primary reason for our obligation to witness. This first point is the fact that it is a command. If you have a Bible close by, take a look at Matthew 28:19-20. It reads, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." I challenge you to find a request in this verse. There is none. It is an express command given by our Lord. It does not say "If you have a spare moment...", "Unless you feel tired...", or (surprisingly) "Unless the Steelers game is on...". There is no "please" or "if you don't mind" in this verse. The fact of the matter is that if you are a believer, you have an unchallengeable commission to witness.
The question could be raised, "Why are we obligated to obey this command?" Again, if you have a Bible on hand, turn to 1 John 2. Verses 1-6 say
"1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth His word in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.
6 He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked." (pronouns referring to Christ capitalized for clarity)
I wanted you to see the whole passage for context, but the main point I wish to draw out is found in verse 3-4. John says that the litmus test for a true believer is if we keep Christ's commandments. In verse 6, John also declares that whoever claims to be a follower of Christ will walk as Christ Himself walked. How did Christ view the lost? Turn to Matthew 9:35-38.
"35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith He unto His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.'"
How did Christ view the lost? When He saw their condition, He was moved with compassion. Based on these passages, what then should our attitude be toward the lost and the command to witness? The only conclusion that can be drawn from these Scriptures is that if we as believers do not obey this command and if we are not, like Christ, "moved with compassion" at the plight of the lost, we need to seriously check our hearts; we need to ensure that they truly do belong to Christ.
We have been given a directive from our Lord. If we truly call ourselves followers of Christ, ignoring this command is not an option.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Focal Point
A spear without its head is pretty close to useless. A sword without its blade isn't much of a weapon. Try hunting with a rifle but no ammunition. When the deer has a decent chance of winning, you know something's wrong.
What about the gospel without the cross? What about the miracles without the sacrifice? What about the magnitude of God's love without the appeasement of God's wrath? Our message is powerless without its thrust. If the cross is removed, what are we left with? A worthless spear, an broken hilt, and a futile mission. Sin has won, we are still objects of God's wrath, and the gospel is rendered ineffective to reconcile love for the sinner and hatred for sin.
Yet the gospel is not rendered ineffective. In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul says, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (emphasis mine). Matthew 27:35 says "And they crucified Him..." Our message is not futile because Christ was sacrificed; God was appeased. I am probably not sharing any new information here, but I think that it is necessary for a Christian to revisit Calvary and remember what took place there over 2,000 years ago.
It all starts in the Garden of Gethsamane. Jesus has revealed to his followers that the time for His sacrifice has come. He also foretells that they will abandon Him to the Romans. In Matthew 26:34 Peter emphatically states "'Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.' Likewise said all of the disciples." They were all standing with Him when Judas came over the hill to "greet" Jesus, but when the Romans topped the hill with their swords drawn and torches held high, all that stood behind Jesus was a cloud of dust. They had all abandoned Him at about 40 miles per hour. The ultimate irony? Jesus died hours later for sins the disciples had committed.
Christ was brought before the prominent religious and political leaders in that area. False witnesses hired by the Pharisees came and testified against Christ. They accused Him of being who He was, the Son of God. For the crime of saying exactly who He was, He was condemned to die a murderer's death, although innocent.
In preparation for His crucifixion, Christ was handed over to Roman soldiers to suffer at their hands. He was mocked, spat on, beaten, slapped and humiliated. Pilate ordered Him scourged with a whip called a scorpion. Secured to the handle were nine leather strands embedded with pieces of bone or metal. It was laid across the victim's back and torn away, ripping away pieces of flesh. Thirty-nine times this instrument of torture was laid across the Messiah's back and torn away. As a final token of derision, the soldiers fashioned a crown of two-inch thorns and twisted it onto Christ's head.
This done, the soldiers loaded a 100-pound crossbeam, His crossbeam, onto His back to be carried a mile outside the city gates. he was so weak from the beatings and loss of blood that He could not go the distance. He had to be helped the rest of the way.
When He finally reached Calvary, nails were driven through His wrists and feet, securing Him to the cross. Ropes were attached, and the cross bearing the Christ was pulled to an upright position. It is believed that the joints in His shoulders and hips were thrown out of socket from the jolt. But the worst was yet to come.
All humanity past had waited for this very moment; all humanity to come would look back at this crucial event. These minutes were the focal point of all history. "All have sinned..." (Rom. 3:23). "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" (Heb. 9:22). The "fulness of the time" had come. God, as His Son hung on a cross, gathered together the guilt of all sins, past, present, and future, and placed it on Christ. As God's wrath towards ungodliness was unleashed against His Son, "Jesus cried with a loud vioce, saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is, being interpreted, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'" (Mark 15:34) "...He said, 'It is finished:' and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30). By Christ's death, the wages of sin had been paid. A spotless Lamb had been sacrificed for our sake. Of His own volition, God became man and died for our redemption. That was the price for our freedom. As a result, how now shall we live?
What about the gospel without the cross? What about the miracles without the sacrifice? What about the magnitude of God's love without the appeasement of God's wrath? Our message is powerless without its thrust. If the cross is removed, what are we left with? A worthless spear, an broken hilt, and a futile mission. Sin has won, we are still objects of God's wrath, and the gospel is rendered ineffective to reconcile love for the sinner and hatred for sin.
Yet the gospel is not rendered ineffective. In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul says, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (emphasis mine). Matthew 27:35 says "And they crucified Him..." Our message is not futile because Christ was sacrificed; God was appeased. I am probably not sharing any new information here, but I think that it is necessary for a Christian to revisit Calvary and remember what took place there over 2,000 years ago.
It all starts in the Garden of Gethsamane. Jesus has revealed to his followers that the time for His sacrifice has come. He also foretells that they will abandon Him to the Romans. In Matthew 26:34 Peter emphatically states "'Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.' Likewise said all of the disciples." They were all standing with Him when Judas came over the hill to "greet" Jesus, but when the Romans topped the hill with their swords drawn and torches held high, all that stood behind Jesus was a cloud of dust. They had all abandoned Him at about 40 miles per hour. The ultimate irony? Jesus died hours later for sins the disciples had committed.
Christ was brought before the prominent religious and political leaders in that area. False witnesses hired by the Pharisees came and testified against Christ. They accused Him of being who He was, the Son of God. For the crime of saying exactly who He was, He was condemned to die a murderer's death, although innocent.
In preparation for His crucifixion, Christ was handed over to Roman soldiers to suffer at their hands. He was mocked, spat on, beaten, slapped and humiliated. Pilate ordered Him scourged with a whip called a scorpion. Secured to the handle were nine leather strands embedded with pieces of bone or metal. It was laid across the victim's back and torn away, ripping away pieces of flesh. Thirty-nine times this instrument of torture was laid across the Messiah's back and torn away. As a final token of derision, the soldiers fashioned a crown of two-inch thorns and twisted it onto Christ's head.
This done, the soldiers loaded a 100-pound crossbeam, His crossbeam, onto His back to be carried a mile outside the city gates. he was so weak from the beatings and loss of blood that He could not go the distance. He had to be helped the rest of the way.
When He finally reached Calvary, nails were driven through His wrists and feet, securing Him to the cross. Ropes were attached, and the cross bearing the Christ was pulled to an upright position. It is believed that the joints in His shoulders and hips were thrown out of socket from the jolt. But the worst was yet to come.
All humanity past had waited for this very moment; all humanity to come would look back at this crucial event. These minutes were the focal point of all history. "All have sinned..." (Rom. 3:23). "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" (Heb. 9:22). The "fulness of the time" had come. God, as His Son hung on a cross, gathered together the guilt of all sins, past, present, and future, and placed it on Christ. As God's wrath towards ungodliness was unleashed against His Son, "Jesus cried with a loud vioce, saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is, being interpreted, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'" (Mark 15:34) "...He said, 'It is finished:' and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30). By Christ's death, the wages of sin had been paid. A spotless Lamb had been sacrificed for our sake. Of His own volition, God became man and died for our redemption. That was the price for our freedom. As a result, how now shall we live?
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