Going, then, disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct you. And Lo! I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon! Amen!
Matthew 28: 19-20, Concordant New Testament
Every now and then it will happen. I'll come across someone who has served in our nations military at one time or another. Being somewhat of a military history buff, I can relate somewhat to what they have been through. Of course, I would have needed to be there in order to get the full experience. Yet whenever it is that I come across someone who has served their country, my first reaction is to thank them for their service. To thank them for the sacrifice of being away from home and family. To thank them for standing in the gap when so many others wouldn't or couldn't. They deserve our gratitude. This also got me thinking of another kind of service. That is, our service to the Lord. While in the church environment I often heard the phrase "spiritual gifts" bantered around. Indeed, I believe that we are all endowed with certain abilities and/or talents which the Lord can and will use in the world around us. I make use of one of mine each time I post to this page. Writing is just one of the gifts which the Lord has blessed me with. Why are spiritual gifts important? Because as followers of Jesus, we are on the front lines of the effort to introduce Him to a world in desperate need to know Him. The fact is, many people will never come to know the Lord but through those who know and follow Him. This is exactly what Jesus proclaimed to His disciples after His resurrection, telling them to go and make disciples of all the nations. A simple Google search defines the word disciple as a follower or student of a teacher, leader or philosopher. I would say that Jesus checked a few of those boxes. So, the men who traveled with Jesus were not disciples per se, but followers. Yet the scripture we find of Jesus' "Great commission" in Matthew is all too often used as motivation for church ministries. We are to create disciples. Followers of Jesus.
For everyone, whoever should be invoking the name of the Lord, shall be saved. How, then, should they be invoking One in Whom they do not believe? Yet how should they be believing One of Whom they do not hear? Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding? Yet how should they be heralding if they are not commissioned? According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good!
Romans 10: 13-15, Concordant New Testament
In layman's terms, how is someone who has never heard or learned of Jesus supposed to hear about Him? Granted, the name Jesus is recognized pretty much worldwide. However, there is a big difference between hearing about Jesus and knowing Him. I would like to say that I have come to know Jesus. I have come to the same realization that was introduced to the apostle Paul of Christ Jesus in me {Galatians 2:20}. I did not come to this realization on my own. No, it was introduced to me by a dear friend speaking to me an evangel of good. This truth of Christ was spoken to me by one who had experienced it himself. This is how Jesus will be known to the world. He will be spoken of by those who know Him. This is what He was speaking to in the great commission. How is it that the Lord will use you? If you have been exposed to church teaching on spiritual gifts, what are the gifts you feel you have been blessed with? It is God who has created us in His image, so I strongly believe that He has also created us with certain talents which we can use for speaking His evangel of good. As more and more followers of Jesus are revealed in the world, more people in turn will come to know Him through them. Jesus has proclaimed that when we see Him we see the Father as well {John 14:9}. We have seen Jesus through His works as well as by the testimony of the disciples. The desire of the Father is that all will come to know him {John 17:21}.
Philip is saying to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficing us." Jesus is saying to Him, "So much time am I with you, and you do not know Me, Philip! He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how are you saying, 'show us the Father?' Are you not believing that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The declarations I am speaking to you I am not speaking from Myself. Now the Father, remaining in Me, He is doing His works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; yet if not, believe Me because of the works themselves."
John 14: 8-11, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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