Every true disciple of Christ is born again as a missionary. If we are not a missionary, then we are a mission field.
A story was told of a certain man who found himself nearly freezing to death in a snow storm. He was loosing the hold on life, when he suddenly heard a cry from another in the same situation, calling for help. The consciousness of helping another suddenly made new life spring up through the frozen limbs. He sought the needy out, bore them on his shoulders to safety. Only then did he realise, that through labouring to save the unfortunate, had he saved himself.
This is why Jesus gave the great commission. Being the Great missionary, He designed that ministry, in whatever capacity, would be integral to our own salvation.
What are the components of the great commission and its assurances? Matthew 28:18-20
“18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 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. Amen.”
Jesus emphasised this at the end of His earthly ministry, what did He emphasise at the beginning? Matthew 4:19
“19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
What other analogy did He use to illustrate His purpose for us? Matthew 5:14-15
“14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
What should be the Christian’s experience then? Acts 4:20
“20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
The church is not a social club, but a body of believers excited about their new life in Christ and the commission not to sit still and wait, but to actively look for opportunities to help others know Christ also.
Is witnessing a spiritual gift? Ephesians 4:11
“11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
No!
Who then is responsible for witnessing if it’s not a spiritual gift? Acts 8:1, 4
“1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. … 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”
What will happen if we don’t share? Hebrews 5:12
“12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”
What will God do with the lost’s blood if we knowingly neglect to reach them? Ezekiel 33:8-9
“8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” (See also Luke 9:26, which warns us of being ashamed of our Saviour: He will be ashamed of us too.)
What method should we use? Revelation 22:17
“17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
How does it work in practice? Romans 10:9-15
“9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
How did Paul bring glad tidings of good things to his community? Acts 20:20
“20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,” (See also John 3:1-3 and Acts 8:35-37 which confirms that preaching can be private.)
Today preaching can be in the form of correspondence Bible courses, witnessing, video, internet, health talks, helping those arounds who are in need etc. as it is seen in Christ’s life.
Jesus mingled with men as one who desired their good, ministering to their needs and then bade them to follow Him, where is the declaration of His work? Luke 4:18
“18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” (See also Ministry of healing, 143.3)
What is to be our key topic when we preach or witness? 1 Peter 1:23
“23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Personal efforts are needed in order to reach people, as we can see clearly from the Bible.
Who did Andrew witness to after he began following Christ? John 1:35-42
“35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
Who did God use, after his conversion, to help Nathanael overcome his prejudices? John 1:43-51
“43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (See also another example of effects of a personal testimony, John 4:7-10, 28-29, 39-42.)
After being converted, what mission does Jesus give the man who was freed from Legion? Luke 8:30-39
“30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”
There are other examples showing that everyone can share something on behalf of Jesus, because “He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:37). The man saved from the legion shared his personal testimony: how his life was before he met Jesus, how he met Jesus and how his life changed after his conversion. (See also Acts 22:3-21, revealing Paul’s way of boldly witnessing and testifying of his own conversion).
What blessings do Christ promise the faithful sowers and reapers in witnessing? John 4:35-38
“35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
What is promised to those who faithfully and liberally witness for Christ? Proverb 11:25
“25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
Can we expect a harvest, those who would desired to know Christ? Luke 10:2
“2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”
Instead of taking the glory for ourselves, what should we do when we experience success in witnessing? Luke 15:10
“10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (See also Zechariah 4:10, encouraging us to be faithful although we may have small beginnings.)
The end of the world must take place before Christ returns, what’s dear to Him before this takes place? Matthew 24:14
“14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
What does “all the world” mean in relation to the time we live in? Revelation 14:6
“6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”
Can we be sure from Bible history that every individual in the world will have a chance to hear in order to embrace or reject the gospel? Colossians 1:23
“23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
“Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to “every creature which is under heaven.” Colossians 1:23. So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Revelation 14:6, 14.” (Desire of Ages 633.3).
Friend,
Is it your desire to hasten Jesus second coming by praying for and making personal efforts to reach one person for Christ each year?
Every true disciple of Christ is born again as a missionary. If we are not a missionary, then we are a mission field. A story was told of a certain man who found himself nearly freezing to death in a snow storm. He was loosing the hold on life, when he suddenly heard a cry from another in the same situation, calling for help. The consciousness of helping another suddenly made new life spring up through the frozen limbs. He sought the needy out, bore them on his shoulders to safety. Only then did he realise, that through labouring to save the unfortunate, had he saved himself. This is why Jesus gave the great commission. Being the Great missionary, He designed that ministry, in whatever capacity, would be integral to our own salvation. The church is not a social club, but a body of believers excited about their new life in Christ and the commission not to sit still and wait, but to actively look for opportunities to help others know Christ also. No! Today preaching can be in the form of correspondence Bible courses, witnessing, video, internet, health talks, helping those arounds who are in need etc. as it is seen in Christ’s life. Personal efforts are needed in order to reach people, as we can see clearly from the Bible. There are other examples showing that everyone can share something on behalf of Jesus, because “He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:37). The man saved from the legion shared his personal testimony: how his life was before he met Jesus, how he met Jesus and how his life changed after his conversion. (See also Acts 22:3-21, revealing Paul’s way of boldly witnessing and testifying of his own conversion). “Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to “every creature which is under heaven.” Colossians 1:23. So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Revelation 14:6, 14.” (Desire of Ages 633.3). Friend, Is it your desire to hasten Jesus’ second coming by praying for and making personal efforts to reach one person for Christ each year?Look up the verses yourself
