“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV).
These are our marching orders, our requirement as believers. In fact, these words are our call to duty. If every Christian were to answer this call with a prayerful, humble and obedient heart, we would change the world.
In Acts 17:6, the disciples were referred to as “these who have turned the world upside down.” I would love to stand before the Lord one day and have those words as my testimony.
We live in a world of turmoil. People need Jesus and the Savior tells us, “Go therefore.” And yet, so many Christians are standing on the sidelines. So many Christians are afraid to speak out for the Lord. Way too many Christians are careless with their testimonies. Many Christians just don’t seem to care.
Let’s break down our call of duty into three key areas. I hope this will be an encouragement to you to be more attuned to God’s call on your life.
1. We must tell people about Jesus. Simply telling others what God has done for you is powerful. We all have a redemption story to tell. In fact, our stories often have more impact than any sermon many people will ever hear. Your story is different from mine and there are people out there who will respond to what you have to say more than they would to what I have to say. The key, though, is this: We need to be telling our story of what Jesus has done for us.
2. We are called to do the work of the church. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” We all have different roles to play at our churches. We can teach Sunday school, sing in the choir, greet people at the church door, go out on visitation work, or deliver groceries to needy people. Dear friends, we have all been gifted by God to do something for Him.
3. We must pray for people. In this age, we tend to hold an “us and them” sentiment. I see on Facebook how people are constantly bickering and attacking each other. As Christians, we can’t be involved in that routine. If someone says something bad about you, pray for them. If people badmouth your church, go to God about it. Don’t get caught up in worldly solutions. We must be people of grace, mercy, forgiveness and prayer so that others are drawn to the Lord through our testimony.
As followers of Christ, we need to be communicating the Gospel, serving Christ through our church and living lives of righteousness and prayer. God has a role for you and for me. Let’s answer the call of duty together and see our cities, towns and maybe even our nation dramatically altered for the sake of the Gospel.